Local Harrogate News & Views around the district - Page 991 of 1071

No coronavirus deaths at Harrogate hospital for a month

Today is the first time that Harrogate District Hospital has gone a full month without reporting a single coronavirus death.

It has been a long road to this point. The hospital reported its first covid-19 death on March 20 and the most recent – the 82nd – on July 19. That patient died four days earlier on July 15.

The district hospital said at the end of July that it had no coronavirus positive patients for the first time since the start of the pandemic. It has not revealed since whether it has taken on any new patients.

This is the longest time that the hospital has gone without reporting a coronavirus death. The second longest time was for 16 days at the start of July.

Now Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust faces a different challenge. The trust is trying to get as many people as possible to sign up to the local coronavirus vaccine trial.

Despite there being no coronavirus deaths for a month the NHS has extended its contract to keep NHS Nightingale Yorkshire and the Humber as a hospital until March 2021.

That move may not have gone down well with those in the events and hospitality sector locally but the NHS wants to stay prepared in case a second wave hits in winter.

Public consultation launched on land swap for Stray cycle route

Harrogate Borough Council is to ask residents about a proposed cycle route on the Otley road as it will take up part of the Stray.

The council has to seek the public’s opinion as the proposed new cycle route needs to use land that is legally designated as Stray land. It also wants views on whether to amend a Stray Byelaw to allow cycling on the proposed Otley Road route.

Under the Stray Act any land taken from the Stray has to be given back elsewhere; be no more than 100 metres from the Stray and be ‘equally advantageous’ to residents.

The three options that have been proposed for the land swap are Wetherby Road (behind the hospital), St James Drive verges or Arthurs Avenue verges.

The council says it is working with North Yorkshire County Council to improve transport infrastructure in the west of Harrogate.

The Stray Defence Association has previously expressed concern about the areas proposed for the land swap questioning the value to the public of verges along Arthurs Avenue and St James Drive becoming Stray land.

Councillor Phil Ireland, Harrogate Borough Council’s cabinet member for sustainability, said:

“In order for a new, safe, segregated cycleway to be implemented on the verges of Otley Road we need to hear people’s views on the exchange land options and byelaw amendments.

“We believe we have identified three suitable options to offer as exchange land and I’d urge residents to share their views.”

The council says comments on these proposals can be given online at: www.harrogate.gov.uk/haveyoursay by Monday 9 November.

Two thirds of James Street businesses against full pedestrianisation, says BID

Harrogate BID has said it is disappointed in a council decision to pedestrianise James Street after it says more than two thirds of businesses on the street are against its full pedestrianisation.

In a strongly worded statement, the BID’s acting chair, Sara Ferguson, said she felt disappointed that Harrogate Borough Council appeared to have already made a decision on the measure without speaking to “the very businesses this will effect”.

She added that the town’s masterplan, which was written up by the borough council in 2016 and includes full pedestrianisation of James Street, “tinkered at the edges” and that the town “deserves a really ambitious plan”.

The BID was contacted by the borough council to ask for its views on the measure at the same time it had put a request into North Yorkshire County Council.

The authority said the temporary pedestrianisation of the street was needed to help “safety and social distancing measures”.

Since then, Cllr Don Mackenzie, executive county councillor for access, has backed a temporary closure of the street which could be in place as early as next month.

But, the BID has said, while there was no overwhelming single consensus of opinion, a third of businesses are against any pedestrianisation of the street, another were in favour and a third supported partial pedestrianisation.

Sara Ferguson, acting chair of the Harrogate BID, said:

“We are disappointed that without first speaking to the very businesses this will affect, Harrogate Borough Council appears to have already made its decision, namely that of pedestrianising the entire length of James Street.

“They asked us for our views, but before we responded to them, we wanted to speak to our members along the street. In addition to calling in to shops, we also emailed them too, which revealed a three-way split.

“Based on these responses, and for what it’s worth, we have now given this feedback to both Harrogate Borough Council and North Yorkshire County Council. We trust that before any long-term decision is made about James Street’s future, there is full and proper consultation.”

It comes as cones which blocked off parking spaces along James Street for social distancing were no longer in place this morning.

A spokesman for North Yorkshire County Council said its officers have not removed the cones. He added that the council will put them back in place.

Big take-up for coronavirus vaccine trial in Harrogate district

Nearly 1,400 people have signed up to the coronavirus vaccine trial – forcing local NHS trusts to increase capacity.

Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust originally said that there was room for 2,250 people and said that it could increase capacity to 6,000.

So far, more than 6,600 people have signed up to the trial across Leeds, Harrogate and York.

The biggest uptake has been in Leeds where close to 4,000 people have signed up. It is the highest uptake for local authorities in the UK.

Dr Jacqueline Andrews, the executive medical director at Harrogate NHS FT, said:

“I would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who has signed up to the campaign so far. So many people from the Harrogate district have signed up already. We really appreciate your support.”

Dr Phil Wood, Chief Medical Officer at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust added:

“An effective vaccine against the coronavirus is key. It’s important for large-scale vaccine studies that we get as many people as possible from our community to sign up to take part.”

The trusts are considering different locations throughout Leeds, Harrogate, and York for the trial. They are keen to use spaces like sports halls, away from hospitals.

Around 70 staff will spend three days in each location, aiming to give 250 vaccines with each person having a 90-minute consultation. The trial will start at the end of September.

To register interest in the vaccine trial visit the NHS vaccine research website by clicking or tapping here.

How does a vaccine study work?

The NHS may give those who have signed up for the trial a vaccine or a placebo. Either way, participants will need to visit the research site a few times over the next six to 12 months.

At each of those visits, the staff will talk about the research study, take blood tests and answer any questions.

Between visits, participants will need to tell staff about any symptoms and may need to take a throat or nose swab every week while keeping a diary.

Shop owners open-minded ahead of James Street pedestrianisation

Shop owners on Harrogate’s James Street remain open-minded after county council bosses gave their backing to a temporary pedestrianisation of the street.

Cllr Don Mackenzie, executive county councillor for access, has said the authority will support a trial partial closure of the road from Princes Street to Station Parade.

It comes after Harrogate Borough Council lodged a request to the county council to close the street to help “safety and social distancing measures”. The trial could see the street temporarily pedestrianised as early as next month and would involve daily closures to cars from 10am until 4.30pm.

Jade Firth, assistant manager of The White Company on James Street, said it was difficult to say whether the measure would have a negative or positive impact on the store.

She said:

“I can’t say if it will be positive or negative, we haven’t been able to park along the street for a couple of months now.

“It’s not affected trade tremendously, of course covid in general has affected custom. In terms of not being able to drive down the street, it will have a parallel effect; I don’t think it will change.

“Our customers are already having to walk up so hopefully it should stay the same as it is now.

“Of course, everyone has the worries about people not being able to get down the street to the stores and this street is quiet due to people closing down but I think it will be fine. Customers are often walking five to 10 minutes anyway to get the free parking elsewhere.”

James Street, which has already seen its pavements widened, has been earmarked for pedestrianisation.

Meanwhile. Keiran Lancaster, head of fiction at Waterstones, said the move would more likely effect elderly customers parking on the street.

He said:

“With the population in Harrogate, it is a lot of elderly people and we have a lot of people who drive up outside to help their partner in or use a wheelchair so we have had people who have driven down James Street and couldn’t park.

“So for our elderly customers it could have a negative effect and they wouldn’t be able to get near to the shop.

“Comparable to Leeds with a younger population it would perhaps not have a big impact. Overall a slight negative impact on takings, but it wouldn’t be anything too much.”

Others, such as Ben Ogden, co-owner of Ogden of Harrogate Jewellers, felt the county council could focus on spending money elsewhere first.

He said:

“I would say to North Yorkshire spend the money-making Cambridge, Oxford and Beulah street look beautiful and see how that works and, if it looks great and it’s being applauded by the town, then look at James Street.

“To do it properly and beautifully, it will take years, and electric cars are on the rise too, so the argument of pollution will go out of the window.”

In response to the borough council’s request to pedestrianise the street, Cllr Mackenzie said:

“There are hospitality businesses in this section of James Street, which could benefit from the additional space, which the closure would provide.

“Furthermore, if this partial closure proves to work well, and if it is found to be popular with the general public and businesses, full pedestrianisation of James Street can be considered. Such a step would require a process of consultation.

“As far as that part of James Street is concerned which would remain open to traffic, the suspension of parking bays to support social distancing will remain in place. Our highways team will continue to liaise with counterparts at HBC regarding the use of more suitable and attractive alternatives to cones for this purpose.

“The highways team has already arranged a meeting with an HBC officer for later this month in order to discuss the details of the introduction of the trial partial closure, which could be in place as early as next month.”

Cllr Mackenzie said the James Street pedestrianisation tied in with the Transforming Cities Fund Harrogate Gateway project, which could see significant changes made to the rail and bus stations and surrounding areas along Station Parade. A meeting to discuss its progress is expected to be held later this week.

Harrogate College to offer extra support to new students

Harrogate College has put several measures in place for new students who will have had six months off from learning and for those who may not get the GCSE grades they need.

The further education college teaches vocational courses and BTEC qualifications. It’s concerned that many of its students arriving next month will have been away from a teaching environment for six months and may find returning to learning difficult.

The college is also providing additional teaching for students who need to pass their GCSE in maths and english for a particular course and hired more pastoral and counselling support staff.

Principal of the college, Danny Wild, said:

“We are expecting this cohort to do the same as what we’ve seen in the previous three or four years because the grades are assessed in the centres. There is a place for them here to get to where ever they want to be. We will help and support them in every way. If they haven’t received the grade they want we can put plans in place for them to start on a level two course.

“We always knew we’d have to put additional support in place after most students have had six months off. Regardless of their grades we are confident we have the right plans in place. This is just a small bump in the road for students they can get to where they want to be regardless of their grades.”

New and returning students can expect there to be new safety measures in place.

The college is putting further measures in place to facilitate students hoping to begin an apprenticeship. The college has said some of its partner businesses are struggling to accept students within the current climate but hopes the government’s monetary incentives will encourage them to hire again.

When the college reopens a ‘bubble’ system will be in place to control the chances of coronavirus. Its measures should ensure that if there is a positive case the disruption will be limited to a small group of students and staff.

Turkish Baths Harrogate to reopen after five months

Turkish Baths Harrogate will reopen this week five months after the coronavirus pandemic forced its closure.

For now the baths will only be able to open for treatments on Friday. It is unclear when the sessions will get the green light.

A spokesperson for Turkish Baths Harrogate said that the sessions will remain closed for a “little while longer”.

The baths used the time to renovate its 123-year-old flooring. The council said it could have become dangerous.

A report seeking retrospective approval for the work detailed how Harrogate Borough Council needed to spend close to £30,000.

In the report, the council said that the floor is showing signs of water egress, wear in grouted joints, and cracks in the terrazzo.

Harrogate Borough Council also launched a consultation into dropping single-sex sessions. Moving to mixed-sessions only would reflect “equality and balance,” according to the council.

Meanwhile, the historic venue is set to become part of a new local authority controlled company (LACC), along with the district’s pools and gyms, as part of an overhaul of leisure services.

Harrogate sports centre deep clean after coronavirus case

Harrogate Sport and Fitness Centre has reopened today after one of its members tested positive for coronavirus.

The centre on Hookstone Wood Road was forced to close this morning for a deep clean. The council and department of health gave it the green light to open at 12pm.

James Gaston, general manager at the centre, said:

“Thank you for your understanding and apologies for any inconvenience. We want to keep your club as safe as we possibly can.”

He urged people who went to the gym on Friday to get a test and inform them of the results.

The fitness centre has a gym, four squash courts, a dance and fitness studio, two boules courts and a bar with balcony available for hire.

It follows the news that The Navigation Inn in Ripon closed after one of its customers reported a positive coronavirus test.

Communities must step in to save red phone boxes in Harrogate district

More than 30 phone boxes will be removed by BT unless communities come together to save them.

BT said it is considering the removal of 32 inactive booths across the Harrogate district, 22 of which are the traditional red style.

Three are under scrutiny in Harrogate, including one outside Harrogate District Hospital on Lancaster Park Road. Seven across Nidderdale are under consideration, including one on Pateley Bridge high street and one in Birstwith, along with a further 11 in Ripon.

A spokesperson for BT told the Stray Ferret:

“Most people now have a mobile phone and calls made from our public telephones have fallen by around 90 per cent in the past decade. The need for payphones in emergencies is also reducing as 98 per cent of the UK has either 3G or 4G coverage.

“As long as there’s network coverage from at least one network, it’s possible to call 999, even when there’s no credit or coverage from your own mobile provider.”

In some locations, including Greenhow Hill, BT said average monthly use of the bright red kiosks has fallen to zero. But many are worried the removal of the red kiosks will leave some vulnerable and a huge part of British heritage will be lost.

Ripon city councillor Pauline McHardy said:

“All the councillors in Ripon agreed they could remove the modern plastic phone boxes but not the old-fashioned red ones. Ripon is a historic city and and they are a historic landmark.

“People presume everyone has a mobile phone but they don’t and there could be a situation where someone has to use the red telephone box. I would not like them removed and I’m sure that all the other councillors on Ripon city council would agree.”

BT is encouraging communities to keep the red telephone kiosks under its “adopt-a-kiosk” scheme, which costs £1 and lets community organisations, including councils and charities, transform the kiosks into defibrillator sites, mini libraries and more.

The firm said it is giving communities the chance to comment on their proposal. If councils or other groups apply to keep the kiosks, they will remain. The consultation will end on October 7.

Harrogate students ‘panicking about the future’ despite grades U-turn

The government U-turn on A level results has left local students with concerns about what the future holds.

The government has promised to reverse the standardisation process which saw an average of 37% of grades changed in the Harrogate district, and award the teachers’ assessed grades.

However, for students who lost their university place last week and will now have their grades increased, it could still be too late for them to access their chosen courses in September.

India Taylor, a former student of Harrogate Ladies’ College, said she received BCE on Thursday after Ofqual has changed her Spanish grade from a B to an E. She said:

“I felt completely broken when I received the email on Thursday morning. I had an unconditional offer to study psychology at Leeds Beckett but I was hoping to be able to ‘trade up’ and get into the University of Leeds. But none of the ones I wanted to go to said they would accept me with an E.

“I was planning on deferring a year in order to sort out the appeals process and potentially sit the exams but I am now waiting to hear back from universities following the announcement. I’m glad the government has decided they need a better method – it was unfair to judge people’s efforts based on those at the school before them.

“I think they still could have done more as many people were rejected by their firm choice university and have spent the days since Thursday panicking about the future.”

Student India Taylor is hopeful her teacher-assessed grades from Harroagte Ladies’ College will be good enough to get into her chosen university.

Mark Sellers, a retired teacher from Harrogate and a parent of an A-level student, has raised concerns for those students who had high predicted grades but the grades calculated by their teachers were much lower.

He said:

“My son’s school predicted him AAB but the centre assessed grade they sent to Ofqual was DCB. He can’t go to his favoured university in Newcastle but now he has to go back to study for exams in October.

“His school has now offered him support but others may not. Many modules weren’t finished and I am concerned that all those kids without the grades they wanted will struggle. They may fail again because they haven’t been given the help, they’re throwing them on the scrap heap.

“I sent a letter to my MP to let him know something has to be done, I want him to agree to raise it in the House of Commons for schools to provide the support to these kids. I believe schools have a moral obligation to help them; in a few years it’ll impact them and there will be mental health issues following this too.”

The Stray Ferret asked all local MPs for a comment, including Mr Sellers’ local MP Andrew Jones, but none had replied at the time of publication.

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